The invention is generally concerned with a replaceable mirror for motor vehicles and is more particularly concerned with a replaceable mirror having a slidable mirror carrier plate.
A rear view mirror arrangement of this type is known from EP 0 609 508 A1. In the case of this rear view mirror arrangement, a sliding connection between a holding plate for a removable installation of a rear view mirror in a housing and the mirror carrying plates is carried out by a clamp lock device. The latter can function in practice in that the holding plate is provided with projections in the area of two, oppositely disposed, parallel side edges which, during clamping, can be pushed parallel to the plane of the plate into complementary shaped depressions on the back of the mirror carrier plate.
This previously known sliding arrangement is characterized by a stable mounting and good withdrawal of the mirror carrier plate away from the holding plate. However, this design is complex in its molding technology, since connection projections are to be provided on the holding plate as well as the complementary shaped rear depressions on the mirror carrying plate. Moreover, in the sliding of the mirror carrier plate onto the holding plate, though seemingly simple of itself, in practice the projections on the holding plate must be intuitively maneuvered into the complementary shaped depressions of the rear area of the mirror carrier plate.
Basing consideration on the problems recited above, it is an object of the invention to improve the sliding connection between the holding plate and the mirror carrying plate, so that the manufacture and the manipulation work for the mirror arrangement is reduced.
This purpose will be achieved by means of the present invention. In accord with the invention, on the one hand there may be provided at least one open insert channel, groove-like in shape and aligned along the holding plate plane, into which a complementary anchoring piece on the mirror carrier plate can slide, parallel to the plane of the holding plate, during replacement closure. On the other hand, a mirror carrier plate may be provided as a slide-in connection possessing a trapezoidal periphery. This has inwardly-turned clips correspondingly trapezoidally arranged, parallel to the plane of the holding plate. These clips, during a motion of sliding in along the plane of the holding plate, embrace receiving clips curved outwardly on the rim of the holding plate which has a periphery complementary to the above.
To achieve a solid connection between the holding plate and the mirror carrier plate, both of the above outlined preferred methods of slide connection for the rear view mirror arrangements can be realized, however, only one of the two methods of sliding together at a time is possible. In addition it must be mentioned, that the functional assignment of the individual designs of the slide-connection in accord with the invention as to holding plate or mirror carrier plate, can be reversed.
In the case of the two provided sliding connection methods in accord with the invention, either is of advantage, in that in spite of a very short slide movement, a stable and in the case of commercial vehicles, an enduring fastening of the mirror carrier plate, and thereby the mirror glass, on the holding plate is achieved. This is more supported by the trapezoidal xe2x80x9cwedgexe2x80x9d action of the securement fittings, which calls forth a precise securement positioning of the mirror carrier plate on the holding plate at the full stop point of the sliding final position.